ERROR CARDS
Billy Ripken #616
1989 Fleer
“FF Error”
PSA Card Grade: Authentic
PSA Auto Grade: 10
In 1989, Ripken’s Fleer card showed him holding a bat with an expletive written in plain view on the knob of the bat. Fleer subsequently rushed to correct the error, and in their haste, released versions in which the text was even scrawled over with a marker, whited-out with correction fluid, and even airbrushed. On the final, corrected version, Fleer obscured the offensive words with a black box, this version was included in all factory sets. Both the original, and many of the corrected versions have become collector’s items as a result. There may be more than 10 different variations of this card in existence. Once the news got out, the original card’s price skyrocketed, and it still remains highly sought-after. Ripken originally told reporters he was pranked, but he later admitted to labeling the bat himself so he could spot it easily. Meant to only be used during batting practice, the bat accidentally made its’ way into the 1989 Fleer Baseball set without anyone noticing. Years later, Ripken admitted to having written the expletive on the bat; however, he claimed he did it to distinguish it as a batting practice bat, and did not intend to use it for the card. He went on to say, "I can't believe the people at Fleer couldn't catch that. I mean, they certainly have to have enough proofreaders to see it. I think not only did they see it, they enhanced it. That writing on that bat is way too clear. I don't write that neat. I think they knew that once they saw it, they could use the card to create an awful lot of stir." Some collectors list the card as the "Rick Face" card, as they claim that the proximity between the letters appears to make the word spell out Rick instead of an obscenity.
Fleer would scramble to make corrections, and PSA has graded more than 20,000 examples. From simple scribbles over the label to popular “Black Box Over Error” variations, this card is seen in it’s “unedited” condition, but features the rarer, Billy Ripken autograph on top! Nicknamed “Billy the Kid,” Ripken was a former, professional baseball infielder. He is the younger brother of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr, and was a radio host for XM Satellite Radio and studio analyst for MLB Network. Ripken was drafted by the Orioles in the 11th round of the 1982 MLB draft. He reached MLB in 1987, creating the first situation in baseball history that a father had managed two sons on the same team, as his brother played for the Orioles and his father, Cal Ripken Sr. managed the team.
Dale Murphy #357
1989 Upper Deck
Reverse Negative
PSA Card Grade: Authentic
PSA Auto Grade: 10
The 1989 Upper Deck baseball set delivered a premium product on superior cardstock with better packaging. While changing sports card designs forever, the checklist also gave collectors one of the most famous cards of all time: the 1989 UD Ken Griffey Jr.. which remains one of PSA’s most graded cards decades later. But not everything was perfect, especially for Atlanta Braves fans and Dale Murphy. The two-time MVP winner’s name was spelled correctly, and the photo was the correct player. Unfortunately for Upper Deck, the image was clearly reversed (horizontally), and can easily be spotted by the awkward Braves logo across his chest. The “corrected” cards (PSA 10) can fetch $75, while a “reverse negative” can fetch $500 for the same condition. This particular card was also autographed, on-card, by Dale Murphy; and scored a 10 auto grade from PSA.
During an 18-year career in MLB from 1976 to 1993, Murphy played as an outfielder, catcher and first baseman for the Braves, Phillies and Rockies. He is best noted for his many years with the Braves. He won consecutive MVP awards, the Silver Slugger Award for four straight years, and the Gold Glove Award for five straight years. He is a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, and the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.
Paul Gibson #595
1989 Score
“Player Adjusting Cup”
PSA Grade: MINT 9
Much like the 1989 Fleer Ripken card, the 1989 Score Paul Gibson features an unfortunate image that made its’ way into the set. While this card doesn’t feature any types of offensive language, it does show a player in the background making an awkward adjustment to their protective equipment. Score noticed the odd image and, rather than make a more-complicated adjustment, simply opted to try to airbrush most of the problematic arm off. The one-armed infielder isn’t nearly as popular as the original for obvious reasons.
For a few years in the early-mid 90s, the 1989 Score Paul Gibson card had P1, P2 and P3 notations in certain catalogs denoting three separate printings and while most are familiar with the ‘obscenity’ in the first printing of the card. Similar to the 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken and Randy Johnson, Score made more than one correction attempt to cover the infielder’s arm adjusting his cup. The Cincinnati Reds drafted Gibson in the third round of the 1978 MLB draft. The Detroit Tigers signed him in May of 1981. In December of ’82, the Minnesota Twins took Gibson in the Rule 5 draft, but granted him free agency in 1984, whereupon the Tigers reacquired him. Gibson made his MLB debut in 1988, in a game against the Kansas City Royals. After the season he was honored as Tigers Rookie of the Year.
Al Leiter #18
1988 Topps Tiffany
No “NY” on Shirt
PSA Grade: GEM MT 10
Despite being a top prospect coming into 1988, Leiter didn’t get the rookie card he deserved. Explained by Al Leiter to MLB Network in 2021, Topps photographers confused Leiter and teammate Steve George – George is the one seen on the front of card #18. According to Leiter, George wrote the letters “SG” on his glove, and Topps inadvertently read “SG” as Leiter’s No. 56 jersey and photographed the wrong player. Topps would eventually fix Leiter’s card, but that’s not until collectors were able to snatch them up.
Leiter would go on to throw a no-hitter and start Game 7 of the 1997 World Series long after his Yankee days were over. Leiter would go on to finish his career as a Bronx Bomber in 2005, but it’s actually former Yankees farmhand Steve George who would never even throw a pitch in the big leagues. In fact, George threw his last professional pitch in 1987 with the Yankee’s AAA club in Columbus. Talk about two careers that went in opposite directions.
Jim Nettles #126
1990 Pacific Senior League
Vulgarity on Bat Knob
PSA Grade: GEM MT 10
Although this set came one year after the infamous 1989 Fleer “F-Face fiasco,” the Senior League was viewed on a smaller scale (than the big leagues) -so this card sometimes flies under the radar. The 1989-1992 Senior League sets; however, are all sorts of fun. The 1990 checklist famous for the “little-sister” to Bill Riken’s Fleer card: the Jim Nettles “A-Hole” card. As the younger brother of Graig Nettles, Jim was selected in the fourth round of the 1968 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins. For his major league career, he would bat .220 with 16 home runs in 240 games played.
While not as well-known as the Ripken card, former Minnesota Twins outfielder, Jim Nettles, was also caught with an unfortunate bat knob. Nearly a decade after his MLB run ended in 1981, Nettles was playing for the Senior League (players 35 and up), and was photographed for the 1990 set. As Nettles tells it, the photographer provided him with a bat to hold for the photo. But the bat wasn’t his.. it just happened to have writing across the knob. It’s know that Nettles wasn’t particularly happy, but the card has been a lesser-known, cult favorite among collectors for years. Only a few dozen PSA 10’s exist.
Alex Gordon #297
2006 Topps
CGC Grade: VG+3.5
A May 2nd, 2006 article crossed ESPN’s homepage reading: “Alex Gordon has yet to play a single game in the major leagues and yet his rookie card is the hottest in all of baseball, selling for as much as $2,550 in recent weeks. Is Gordon the Kansas City Royals' next great player? Could be. But that isn't why his card, which is No. 297 in Topps' 2006 set, is worth that kind of money. The piece of cardboard is worth that much only because it never should have been produced in the first place.” In part to reduce confusion in the marketplace, the Major League Baseball Players Association ruled that card manufacturers could make rookie cards only of players who either made the 25-man roster or played in a major league game the season before. Gordon apparently didn't qualify either way. After he led Nebraska into the College World Series, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 draft didn't sign his contract -- including a $4 million signing bonus -- until late September. "At the last second, we realized we had made a mistake, so we pulled the cards, destroyed them by cutting out the photo and then destroyed the plates," said Topps spokesman Clay Luraschi. The Gordon cards are believed to exist only in the earliest shipped packs, many of which went to Wal-Marts across the country. Some early believers thought that the card is as rare as they come. Luraschi is confident that fewer than 100 cards got out.
"The fact of the matter is that Topps is the most collected brand out there, and this card ruins it for people in that they won't be able to have it in their set," Schulteis would comment. The last major error of this magnitude in the trading card industry happened in 1989, when a Fleer card featuring Billy Ripken was released that carried an obscenity clearly written on the knob of the bat Ripken was holding. Fleer's attempted cover-up created more than six versions of that card, but the original remained the hottest property, selling for hundreds of dollars at the time. "The scarcity of the card means much more than the caliber of player this guy is or does become." "One of my buddies said he searched the card online, just as a joke to see how much I was worth," Gordon said. "And he told me, 'Your card is selling for hundreds and hundreds of dollars.' I thought he was joking. It blew my mind. Topps is helping to get my name out there," Gordon said. "I should send them a thank you card or something." At Nebraska, Gordon won the Brooks Wallace Award, Dick Howser Trophy, and the Golden Spikes Award in 2005. That year, the Royals selected him with the second overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut in 2007 as a third baseman. A member of the 2015 World Series team, Gordon won eight Gold Glove Awards, two Platinum Glove Awards, four Fielding Bible Awards, and a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award – all after the move to the outfield.